Wire-stretcher



No. 6l7,l32.

(No Model.)

Patented Jan. 3, 1899. A. B. THORN.

WIRE STRETCHER.

(Application filed Aug. 10, 1898.]

Iinnlllllllllllllllllllll I- llwrrnn TATES ATENT ric ARTHUR BOREMANTIIORN, OF REEDY, VEST VIRGINIA.

WlRE-STRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 617,132, dated January3, 1899.

Application filed August 10, 1898. Serial No. 688,321. (No model.)

To (tZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR BOREMAN THoRN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Reedy, in the county of Roane and State of WestVirginia, have invented a new and useful Wire-Stretcher, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in wire-stretchers.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofwire-stretchers and to provide a simple, inexpensive, and efficientdevice capable of readily engaging either a smooth or barbed wire andadapted to stretch the same to the desired tension and hold it while itis being stapled or otherwise fastened to a fence-post or other support.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wire-stretcher adaptedto serve as a combination-tool and capable of cutting wire andextracting staples and nails.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective View of a wire-stretcherconstructed in accordance with this invention, the clamp being open.Fig. 2 is a similar view, the clamp being closed. Fig. 3 is alongitudinal sectional view illustrating the manner of clamping afence-wire. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional View, the section beingtaken through the catch for holding the lever of the clamp.

Like numerals of reference desi nate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

1 designates a main bar or lever constructed of metal and provided atone end with a claw 2, which is slightly curved, as shown, and adaptedfor extracting a nail or staple; and the claw is also adapted to receivea piece of barbed wire in its crotch, so that the lever or bar may beemployed for stretching the wire by using the point of the claw as afulcrum. This will enable the wire-stretcher to be substituted for apair of pliers in many instances. The other end 3 of the main bar orlever is curved, as shown, and is provided at the concave side withparallel ears 4: and 5, forming a wire-receiving recess and constitutingone of the jaws of the clamp. The ear 4, at one side of the bar or leverl, is perforated to receive a journal 6 of a movable L-shaped jaw 7,which operates in the space between the ears and which has itstransverse engaging portion arranged in a slot or recess 8 of the ear 5when in engagement with a fence-wire, whereby it is supported in suchengagement.

An operating handle or lever 9 is secured to the journal of the movablejaw 7 by .a nut 10, and it is adapted to swing the jaw into and out ofengagement with a fence-wire. The handle or lever 9 of the clamp has oneend curved to conform to the configuration of thebar or lever 1, and itsother end is provided with a laterally-disposed grip 11, and the latteris swung in the direction of the main bar or lever when it is desired toclamp a fence-wire. The clamp is maintained in engagement with afence-wire by means of a catch 12, having an L-shaped shank, secured toone of the faces of the main bar or lever 1 by a bolt or other suitablefastening device. The engaging arm of the catch is spaced from theadjacent side of the lever or bar 1 and has a shoulder for engaging thelever or handie of the clamp. The outer end of the en gaging arm of theclamp is beveled to enable the handle or lever to engage it readily. Thebar or lever l is provided adjacent to the handie of the clamp with alongitudinal rib or flange 13, adapted to increase its strength andforming a bearing for the handle or lever of the clamp. The longitudinalrib or flange is provided adjacent to the clamp with a recess 14:, andthe handle or lever 9 is provided with a cutting edge which cooperateswith the recess to form a wire-cutter. By this construction wire may bequickly and conveniently cut.

WVhen it is desired to stretch a fence-wire in building a fence, thewire is placed between the ears of the bar or lever l and is engaged bythe clamp, which securely holds it. The bar orlever 1 is then fulcrumedon a fencepost adjacent to its curved end, and sufficient leverage isafforded to enable the fence-wire to be stretched to the desiredtension. The clamp will securely hold the fence-wire while it is beingstapled or otherwise secured to a fence-post, and there is no liabilityof the fence wire slipping in the clamp.

The invention has the following advantages: The Wire-stretcher, which issimple and comparatively inexpensive in construction, possesses greatstrength and durability, and it greatly facilitates the construction offences by enabling a fence-wire to be quickly stretched to the desiredtension and firmly held while it is being stapled or otherwise securedto a fence-post or other support. It

forms an efficient wire-cutter, and its claw is adapted for extractingstaples and nails, and is also capable of engaging a barbed wire. Thedevice is also adapted for use as a pair of liers and maybe employedeither for twisting the ends of wire together to connect them or fortwisting two or more strands to form a cable. The Wire to be twisted isplaced in the clamp, which is then closed, as before described, and theclamp is then twisted to effect the desired result.

Changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of this invention.

What is claimed is 1. A wire-stretcher comprising a main bar provided atone end with a pair of ears formin g a wire-receiving recess, a clamping jaw or member operating in the space between the ears and adaptedto engage a fence-wire, a handle connected with the clamping jaw ormember and located at one side of the main bar, and a catch mounted onthe main bar and arranged to engage the handle, whereby the clampingmember is maintained in engagement with a fence-wire, substantially asdescribed.

2. A wire-stretcher comprising a main bar or member provided at one endwith a pair of ears, one of the ears being perforated and the otherbeing provided with a slot, an L-shaped clamping-jaw journaled in theperforation of one of the ears and operating in the space between theears, and in the slotof the other, a handle extending longitudinally ofthe bar at one edge thereof and connected with the clamping-jaw, andmeans for holding the clamping-jaw in engagement with a fence- Wire,substantially as described.

3. A wire-stretcher comprising a main bar provided at one end with apair of ears, a substantially L-shaped clamping-jaw journaled on one ofthe ears, a handle connected with the journal of the clamping-jaw andlocated at one side of the bar, and an L-shaped catch mounted on the barand having an engaging arm spaced from the same and arranged to engagethe handle,substantially as described.

t. A wire-stretcher comprising a main bar having one end curved andprovided thereat with a pair of ears, one of the ears being perforatedand the other slotted, an L-shaped clamping-jaw operating in the spacebetween the ears and journaled in the perforated ear and having one endarranged in the slot of the other car, a rib extending along one side ofthe main bar, a handle secured to the journal of the clamping-jaw, andan L-shaped catch mounted on the barand having one arm arranged to beengaged by the handle, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR BOREMAN TIIORN.

\Vitnesses:

A. S. CHEMRONT, L. D. RADER.

